My makeup philosophy and, perhaps, mantra is, “Makeup must be fun.”
If you aren’t enjoying it, if it is a chore, then why bother?
I subscribe to two more philosophies, though:
- Makeup is a tool to enhance and flatter.
- Makeup is also an art form and can be whatever the hell we want.
The ideas are not mutually exclusive.
90% of the time I operate in the former camp. Flattering makeup makes me feel good. It lets me look like my best self.
The other 10% of the time, however… well, I love Too Faced Totally Fetch (available in the Too Faced Bon Bons palette). I think that says enough. It isn’t that I want to draw attention, it’s just that I happen to find hot pink eyeshadow really fun.
For me, I generally want flattering makeup to subtly enhance my features and minimize distracting flaws. It doesn’t draw attention; especially important in the corporate world, which is where I spend 50 of my waking hours per week.
If you feel empowered by getting editorial every day and looking like a holographic mermaid, do you. I would wager that more than half of the beauty community is supportive of, “Do what makes you feel awesome.”
Where I think we (and by we I mean cosmetics enthusiasts in general) get into hot water is failing to recognize the whole, “there’s a time and place,” thing.
You might feel best in full on majestic glam, but that does not mean majestic glam is appropriate for, say, many workplaces (or, if you’re in school, it might even violate your school’s dress code or image policy). The beauty community may be supportive, but your boss or CEO might not be. Your clientele might not be. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to ask yourself, “is this too much (for this occasion/event/etc)?” it probably is.
Self-expression is incredibly important, but it is also important to recognize that there is a time and place for everything. Stephanie Nicole of YouTube works in the beauty industry and recognizes this. That’s right: Even people who work in the beauty industry (for real, not as branding hype machines) understand that there is a time and place. For those of you who prefer a full face, she shared a good tutorial on a look for work, below.